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Sunday, September 14, 2014

Rustic Caramel Apples for Fall with 2 Simple Ingredients

Fall means back to school, bake sales, pumpkins, state fairs, and, my favorite, caramel apples. I made these rustic caramel apples with 2 basic ingredients...apples and sweetened condensed milk. Of course, you can add chopped peanuts for a nice sweet and salty treat.

Did you know you can make caramel with just a can of sweetened condensed milk? There are several methods. I chose to do the double boiler method which is slow and does require your attention. You can also use the crock pot method by placing the unopened can in a crockpot with water and cooking overnight.

Pour the entire 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk in a bowl and place over a pot of water on medium low heat. It will take about 2 hours and requires you to stir occasionally. Also, don't forget to check the water level in the pot. Trust me, it boils down faster than you think.

If you're not happy with the consistency after the 2 hours, you can continue on the stove or you can heat it in the microwave for no longer than 30 seconds at a time, stirring between times. Watch it during those 30 seconds as it could still boil over. I go by taste so I was happy with the flavor after the 2 hours.

Mmmm! Ready to dip some apples!

I had just purchased a bushel of Gala apples and their crisp, tart flavor are perfect for dipping.

Chopped peanuts make caramel apples even better!

For a rustic look, use freshly cut branches from a fruit, maple, or oak tree. I made sure to cut fresh, healthy branches, then rinsed them, and zapped them in the microwave for 30 seconds...just to be sure to kill any tiny critters. The sticks will get very hot so handle carefully.

The caramel looks pretty light in the photo but it really is a caramel color and it's delicious!

If you try these, I recommend putting them on parchment paper and not wax paper. Caramel will stick to wax paper and you'll be picking off bits of it instead of enjoying your caramel apple ;)